Owned by the Alpha Read online

  “It could have been. I don’t know much about human and wolf matings. I know they’re rare, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less special.”

  She smiled. “I’m special to you?”

  “You wouldn’t see me calling in a bunch of favors for just anyone, babe, and I certainly wouldn’t have risked getting on the wrong side of the law if I didn’t want you.”

  She touched his face, stroking over the hard bristles of his day-old stubble. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” he asked.

  “For not being normal, and for coming to take me. I know we’ve had a few problems, but I love being here. I loved being here for my vacation, and I knew I was going to return.”

  “How did you end up in Forest Palm?” he asked.

  “I closed my eyes and dropped my finger to a map. I think fate had something to do with this.”

  He groaned. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Love me for the rest of our lives?”

  “Love you, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  ****

  “I’ve not seen Lettie so excited about anything. When she got your call, she was like a different person,” William said. “How long have you been together?”

  “A couple of weeks. You know she doesn’t wear a mating mark,” Micah said. “We’re mating at the next full moon in a couple of days.”

  He watched Lettie and Hayley in the backyard of his cabin. They were sat on the steps, and he saw they were both talking at the same time. Every now and again, they would stop and hug. They were clearly close, and he was happy to see that. Okay, he was a little jealous as someone had known Hayley for longer, but there was nothing he could do about that now. Nothing at all.

  “You’re handling this okay,” William said.

  “Did Lettie talk about her?”

  “Her human friend? Yes, she did. She wanted to find her, and I was worried that her search would lead to nothing. Still, I asked for her pack to look into what happened to Hayley Ford. I was going to reach out and see if she wanted to meet Lettie.”

  “Why were you worried?”

  “People change. I didn’t know if Lettie’s memories were the same, or if Hayley would want anything to do with the girl who abandoned her. Lettie felt that was what she did, abandoned her. Humans are strange creatures. Lettie adored her, and I love my mate. I’ll do anything for her.”

  “Me, too.”

  There was another hug, and he saw both women were crying together. It was next to impossible not to listen in on their conversation, so he did.

  “You’re so beautiful, Hayley. You always were.”

  “You’ve always been sweet.”

  “And you’re a mate. I should have known you were. You were always so trusting. Most people would have screamed when they saw parts of me changing. Not you. You were always there, keeping an eye on me.” Lettie reached out, touching a curl. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too. I didn’t know who had taken you, and I’m not a rich woman, far from it. I wanted to search for you every single day. Just to know you were happy. Even if you didn’t want to see me, you know?”

  “I know, and now you’re about to be mated. I mean, I can’t believe it. We’re not losing touch again.”

  They hugged.

  “How is your rich English man? He looks a bit … stern,” Hayley said.

  At his side, William tensed. “He’s not stern. He’s lovely. You just need to get to know him.”

  “You’re stern,” Micah said. “I was a kidnapper a few weeks ago. Don’t worry about it.”

  “I’m not. I’m used to being called many things. I’ve got a stick up my ass, straitlaced, and all other kinds of things. Stern is quite mild.”

  “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want,” Micah said. “Our women are going to visit.”

  “I already figured that. We’ll talk more in the future. I’m just happy to see my woman exactly that: happy.”

  Micah could relate.

  Later that night, Hayley leaned against the doorframe, rubbing moisturizer on her hands, as she smiled at him. Micah sat on the bed, pretending to do a crossword puzzle. “That look doesn’t suit you,” she said.

  “It doesn’t?”

  “Nope. We need to be married for twenty years before you start doing the crossword in bed.”

  He put the paper down, along with the pen, and eased the blankets back, revealing his rock hard cock. “What about this? Does this seem more me?”

  She nodded and walked toward him. “Thank you for inviting Lettie here. It was wonderful being with her. The years faded away, and it didn’t feel like we were alone anymore.”

  He picked her up and positioned her to straddle his hips. “I will do whatever you need. All you ever have to do is ask.”

  “Lettie approves of you.”

  “She does?” he asked, already knowing Lettie did. They had talked on the phone before her visit. She had asked him a hundred and one questions, making sure he was the right guy for her friend.

  “You know she does. She told me that you talked a lot.”

  “I didn’t want you getting hurt.”

  “I love you, Micah. Really, I do. I thought you were an ass with the whole kidnapping thing. You love so much, and you act in ways that make no sense, but in a weird kind of way, they do.”

  He touched her cheek. “I only knew that I wanted you, and I had to have you.”

  “Romantic,” she said, chuckling.

  “No regrets?” he asked.

  “Ask me in twenty years if I have any regrets.”

  Epilogue

  Mating moon

  Micah stood behind his mate as she stared at the mark he had given her. He had taken her to the lake, ordering the rest of the pack away. Lettie and William had also given them their privacy.

  “This means I belong to you?” she asked.

  “Don’t you feel me?” He wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing his body against hers. Their bond was sealed, and their fates now entwined together. He sensed the love she felt for him, and he allowed her to feel his own love for her.

  She closed her eyes. “Micah?”

  “It’s how you make me feel. I’m totally, utterly devoted to you. There are no words that are worthy of the love I feel for you.” He kissed her neck.

  “I can feel it.” She rested against him. “I love you, too, Micah. So much.”

  “Any regrets?” he asked again. He couldn’t help it.

  She chuckled. “I told you to ask me that in twenty years. I don’t have any regrets, and I know I’m never going to have them. The way you make me feel, not many have that, Micah. I love you, and I know my feelings for you are only going to get better.”

  He turned her in his arms.

  The moment the full moon had been high in the sky, he had led her down to the lake, knowing she loved that part of the forest. They had torn each other’s clothes off, and he had brought her to orgasm with his mouth on her pussy twice. Only when she was ready had he filled her with his cock, and then marked her flesh. When he came, he’d filled her with his cum, sealing their mating together.

  Hayley had been open to him, and he’d felt her love for him pour into him with each thrust of his cock. He hoped he would make her happy, that he would give her everything as she had given him. Against all of the odds, she had fallen in love with him.

  “Ask me again in twenty years if I have any regrets. I know what I’m going to say.”

  He smiled, and twenty years later, he asked, and she told him to come back in another twenty. Ten kids together, dogs, cats, and a pack to look after, he knew there was no chance of her ever having regrets. He loved her more than any man ever could, and in return, she gave him her heart.

  www.evernightpublishing.com/sam-crescent

  FINDERS KEEPERS

  Stacey Espino

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  “I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding.
He could have missed his flight. Maybe—”

  “Stop,” said Hailey. “Just stop.”

  Her asshole of a fiancé had skipped out of their official engagement dinner, but that was the least of her worries. Their entire relationship was a joke. After eight months together, two of them secretly engaged, she knew he’d cheated on her at least twice. George’s wingman always defended him, insisting men had “needs”. Just because Hailey wanted to save her virginity for the right time didn’t make his other women okay. She never should have forgiven him the first time. He’d crushed her already fragile self-esteem, and now she felt fractured beyond repair.

  “I’ll try his cell again,” said Karl.

  “Forget it. Cancel the dinner, cancel everything. I’m done.” Hailey adjusted her purse over her shoulder and marched out of the hotel lobby with as much dignity as possible—which wasn’t much at this point. She felt small and stupid, like a Grade-A idiot for believing she could build a future with a spoiled playboy like George.

  “Hailey, wait…”

  She ignored Karl, and George’s other friends, as she walked back to her car. They’d never liked her anyway—she wasn’t high society or a size zero. She’d only met George because she worked at the coffee shop near his office. He’d been fun and flirty at first, but he soon lost interest, turning his attention to new conquests.

  Once in the safety of her car, she locked the door, gripped the steering wheel, and stared blankly at the windshield. She felt numb, lost, and before long, a deep sadness settled in. Why was she so unlovable? Hailey was thirty-two, not twenty-two, so her hope of finding Prince Charming dwindled with each passing year. Without warning, her eyes welled up with tears. She felt like a child, the same one who’d been shipped from one foster home to another—never wanted, never belonging. Her vision blurred, all her emotions rushing to the surface, a volatile mixture of anger and despair. She would have sat in the parked car feeling sorry for herself indefinitely, but George’s horde of friends slowly gravitated to the parking lot, so she decided to get the hell out of Dodge.

  According to the whispers in the lobby, George was spending the weekend with his new flavor of the month. The coward could have at least had the decency to cancel the fucking engagement dinner.

  It had been a five-hour drive to the new mountain-side hotel surrounded by hundreds of acres of nature. Hailey was in no shape to make the long trek home. Not yet. She drove a few miles from the hotel, turned down a narrow roadway, and parked when she hit a dead end. She stepped out of the car and took a deep, cleansing breath. The air smelled of pine and earth, nothing like she was used to, living in the city. The only sounds were the multitude of birds, insects, and the soft crunch of leaves beneath her flats. It was like another world in the old growth forest, and she definitely needed an escape. Maybe she’d stay here forever, avoiding reality and the never-ending heartbreak that was her life. Hailey had no destination or plan, she just kept hiking deeper and deeper, her mind scattered in a hundred different directions.

  After traversing the forest for well over an hour, she could hardly move another muscle. Exhaustion from the physical and mental stress pulled at her, so she settled on a bed of matted leaves, too tired to care about creepy crawlies. She thought about George and wondered if he ever really cared about her. She wondered if she could handle seeing him at the coffee shop again. God, how would she ever be able to face her life again?

  ****

  Darius did his third patrol of the new resort. It was difficult convincing his wolf to accept the monstrosity. Nine months had passed since the ribbon-cutting, so he expected to be more at peace with himself.

  “Reports about wolf sightings won’t go over well. Just sayin’.”

  Darius wanted to ignore Thorn. His beta was all for progress, blending their wolf and human worlds into some seamless paradise. It wasn’t natural, and Darius only reluctantly accepted the change. If it were up to him, he’d keep their ancient forests as pristine as they were centuries earlier. His wolf was not tolerant of humans on their land, and even now it took all his resolve not to make a scene.

  “Trust me, I don’t look forward to these patrols.”

  “Then why bother?” asked Thorn.

  Patrols might have been common pack duties, not something fit for the alpha, but Darius felt the need to keep tabs on the resort. At the first signs of what he considered an inevitable disaster, he wanted to deal with it personally. He refused to blindly look the other way in the name of progress.

  “I think you’re going soft in your old age. Are you sure you’re not more human than wolf?” Darius asked.

  “Without change comes extinction. Don’t forget that.”

  He didn’t have to argue with his beta, because within seconds his presence was gone. The thoughts in his head cleared, leaving only the peaceful lull of the forest. These days, Darius wasn’t so sure if it was peaceful or lonely. He had his pack, but lately he felt like a lone wolf. In over five generations of alpha shifters, at forty-five, he was now the oldest on record to still be unmated. Thorn thought Darius was a stone-cold bastard with no room for a female in his life. Maybe he was right.

  Before he let his thoughts destroy him, he began to run—away from the resort, away from the silence, away from his growing bitterness. He used to be satisfied with his place as alpha of the Northern Summit Pack, and it seriously pissed him off that the darkness inside him was throwing his life off its axis. It was easy to blame the new resort, giving him an outlet to vent his frustration, but it was so much more.

  Darius didn’t slow down the punishing pace, darting around trees, leaping over exposed roots, and running until his muscles burned. His black wolf savored the freedom, the shelter of the woodland, and the physical exertion. He knew this forest better than he knew himself, every tree and rocky outcropping. There was comfort in the familiarity.

  He had no destination, only focusing on the wind caressing his fur—until an unusual scent halted his course. He stopped dead, his hackles instinctively rising, his lips pulling up over lethal fangs. Darius did not tolerate intruders. If one of those drunken tourists were lost in his woods again, he’d give them a nightmare to remember. If a rival wolf dared to cross Northern Summit territory lines, he’d pay with his life.

  Darius moved with focus and stealth, barely disturbing a leaf. He kept low, using all his senses as he moved in on the potential threat. His packmates weren’t nearby, probably drooling over the modern marvel with its human luxuries.

  When he found a body on the ground, he began to circle. The sleeping female was far from the resort or any other human establishment. She wasn’t dressed for the woods, wearing shoes that were too delicate for the terrain and clothes that wouldn’t protect her from the rough elements. She was curled up on her side, her lush curves not easy to hide under her layer of clothing. Mascara stained her cheek, a sign she’d been crying. He growled involuntarily.

  Thorn would nag him for not keeping his distance, but he couldn’t keep away. Why was he so fascinated? He moved in closer, breathing in deeply at her neckline. When he exhaled, her brown waves of hair briefly fluttered. Her scent was sweet and decadent. He closed his eyes and relished the sensation of every cell in his body coming to life. For a brief moment, Darius truly believed she’d been sent by the gods. Then he thought better. Nothing had ever been handed to him. He’d worked for every rank and dollar, and it seemed too good to be true that his mate would be delivered on his proverbial doorstep. When she began to stir, he moved to the shelter of the brushwood, not wanting to startle her. And terrorizing humans was usually his favorite pastime.

  She pushed herself up into a sit, tucking hair behind an ear. Her eyes were glassy and confused as she took in her surroundings. “Where am I?” she whispered to herself. “Shit!”

  The human muttered as she struggled to stand, complaining about her aches and the setting sun. All Darius could see was fucking perfection—thick curves and natural beauty like he’d never seen in his life
time. A deep-seated possessiveness flooded his veins, something new and all-encompassing.

  He wanted to fuck her. To own her.

  Darius stepped back, scarcely able to keep his wolf in check. Could this little human be his woman, his mate? He’d either lost his mind or fate had a sick sense of humor. Why would he feel such a connection to a human? And he had no doubt she was human. He expected to find a she-wolf, like all the alphas before him, if he found a mate at all.

  She stumbled along the unbeaten paths, using low tree branches and saplings for leverage. Within the next twenty minutes, the sun would completely set, all the northern forest predators coming to life. Nothing in the darkness inspired fear in Darius, but this human female would be an easy target. His need to protect her overwhelmed him.

  “I’m such an idiot!” she shouted. Too loud. The last thing she needed was attention drawn to her. These woods were rife with wolves, bears, coyotes, and wild cats.

  She unceremoniously trudged in the direction of the roadway, so he slipped ahead to investigate. When he finally reached a dirt road, he found her car. It was a beige two-door with rust along the lower frame. Was that duct tape holding the side mirror on the car? When he leaped up against the glass and saw her purse on the passenger seat, he was tempted to shift into his skin so he could find out more about this mysterious woman. But before he could shed his fur, he heard her scream.

  Chapter Two

  How had she slept so long? She didn’t even know what time it was, but it was dark. Darker than she’d known possible. Every little noise made her adrenaline spike. She might have entered the forest for an escape, but now all she wanted to see was her piece of shit car. Hailey wasn’t even sure if she was moving in the right direction, but she progressed quickly, eager to reach the edge of the woods and some sort of civilization. When she heard the yipping of dogs, she knew she was in trouble.